Door fastener



Sept. 8, 1970 k 1. c. MILLER DOOR FASTENER Filed March 15, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 8, 1970 c. MILLER 3,527,499

DOOR 'FAS'IENER Filed March 15, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Sept. 8, 1970 Filed March 15, 1968 l. C. MILLER DOOR FASTENER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent 3,527,490 DOOR FASTENER Ian Crichton Miller, 9 Beverley Terrace, South Guildford, Western Australia, Australia Filed Mar. 15, 1968, Ser. No. 713,485 Int. Cl. E0511 3/06 US. Cl. 292336.3 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A door fastener which is substantially childproof in that it cannot be released by a single movement of an operating plunger, the fastener having a handle slidably mounted on a supporting plate secured to one side of a door, a slot being formed in the supporting plate, one portion of the slot being larger than the remainder. A push button operated plunger is mounted in the handle the plunger having an enlarged end capable of passing through the larger portion of the slot. The plunger after the enlarged end has passed through the slot is capable of movement relative to the slot to a position where depression of the push button results in the release of latching means on the other side of the door.

The object of the present invention is to provide a door fastener which is especially useful on cupboards and the like which contain goods or articles which it is desirous to prevent children from touching.

According to the present invention there is provided a door fastener comprising a main supporting plate adapted to be mounted on one side of a door and a handle member mounted on said supporting plate said handle member having a spring loaded push button slidably mounted therein such that when the supporting plate is mounted on the door the spring loaded push button. is substantially at right angles to the door, the end of the push button adjacent the supporting plate being of larger cross-section than the remainder, said supporting plate having a slot formed therein one portion of the slot being larger than the remainder of the slot, the dimensions of the slot being such that when the push button is depressed the larger end of the push button is capable of passing through the larger portion of the slot but not capable of passing through the remainder or smaller portion of the slot, the handle member being supported on said supporting plate for movement relative to the longitudinal axis of the slot therein, the push button after the larger end thereof passes through the larger portion of the slot being able to slide along the smaller portion of the slot to cooperate with a plunger member adapted to be located behind the smaller portion of the slot, which plunger member when depressed by the push button releases latching means adapted to be mounted on the other side of the door.

In order, however, that the invention may be more clearly understood it will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, but it should be appreciated that the invention is not limited to the embodiments shown therein.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a sectional elevation of one embodiment of the invention along the line 11 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 2 is a rear elevation of one form of fastener showing the push button in one position;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevation similar to that shown in FIG. 2 showing the push button in a second position;

FIG. 4 is a sectional elevation along the line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional elevation along the line 5-5 of FIG. 7, of another form of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a sectional elevation along the line 6-6 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 7 is a rear elevation of the second form of fastener showing the push-button in a first position; and

FIG. 8 is a rear elevation similar to that shown in FIG. 7 showing the push-button in a second position.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 of the drawings, the supporting plate 11 which is formed of synthetic plastics, metal or other suitabl material, is substantially rectangular, and is provided with a slot 12 formed therein, the longitudinal axis of the slot being substantially parallel to the longer sides of the plate 11. One end 13 of the slot 12 is of larger width than the remainder of the slot. The plate 11 has suitably dimensioned holes 14 at each of its corners to accommodate screws or like fastening elements to secure the plate 11 to a door. Slidably mounted on the supporting plate 11 for movement in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the slot 12 is a handle member 15 preferably in the form of a knob of circular cross-section. Extending through the handle member 15 at right angles to the supporting plate 11 is a push-button 16 which is biased by means of a coiled spring 17 located in a bore 18 formed in the handle member, the spring 17 hearing against an annular flange 19 formed on the pushbutton so as to normally bias the push-button outwardly of the handle member 15, the push button being retained in the bore 18 b y means of an annular shoulder 20 formed at the mouth of the bore 18, against which the annular flange is force-d to bear by the spring 17. The end 21 of the push-button 16 adjacent the supporting plate 11 is enlarged, the enlarged end 21 being of such dimensions that it can pass through the enlarged portion 13 of the slot 12 but not through the smaller portion, when the push-button is depressed. The portion 22 of the push-button 16 adjacent the enlarged end 21 is dimensioned so that it can slide along the smaller portion of the slot 12 when the handle member 15 is moved relative to the supporting plate 11 and the push-button 16 is depressed. The rear of the supporting plate 11 may be provided with a locating tube 23 which passes through a suitable hole formed in the door on which the fastener is attached. A plunger member 24 is arranged to be located in the locating tube 23, the locating tube being positioned behind the smaller portion of the slot 12. The plunger member 24 is arranged to co-operate with latching means (not shown) which are of conventional construction, mounted on the inside of the door such that when the push-button is depressed it causes the plunger member 24 to release the latching means. The supporting plate 11 is further provided with a pair of longitudinally extending slots 25 one on each side of the slot 12 through which bolts, screws 26 or the like preferably pass from behind the plate 11 into the handle member 15 to hold the handle member 15 to the plate 11 to allow sliding movement thereon. To facilitate ease of sliding a pair of detent grooves 27 may be formed in the front surface of the plate 11 and spring-loaded detent balls 28 or the like are preferably located in each of these grooves 27 so that the handle member 15 moves freely on the plate 11.

In use with the fastener mounted on a cupboard door, for example, to ensure that the door cannot be opened readily, the handle member 15 is moved relative to the supporting plate 11 so that the push-button 16 is preferably in front of the smaller portion of the slot 12. The push-button 16 in this position cannot be depressed. To open the door the handle member 15 is moved relative to the supporting plate 11 until the push-button 16 is immediately in front of the larger portion 13 of the slot,

the push-button 16 then being depressed to allow the enlarged end 21 to pass through the slot. The handle member 15 is then moved relative to the supporting plate 11 whilst still holding the push-button depressed. When the push-button 16 is located in front of the plunger member 24 as best seen in FIG. 4, it can then be depressed still further to release the latching means and open the door.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. to 8 of the drawing, the supporting plate 31, which is formed of a synthetic plastics material, metal or other suitable material, is substantially rectangular, and is provided with a slot 32 formed therein, the longitudinal axis of the slot being substantially parallel to a shorter side of the plate. One end 33 of the slot 32, as in the previous embodiment, is of larger width than the remainder of the slot. The plate 31 is also provided with suitably dimensioned holes 34 to accommodate suitable fastening elements by which the plate 31 is secured to a door. The handle member 35 of this embodiment is substantially U-shaped with the base of the U substantially parallel to the plate 31 and passing along the longer dimension of the plate, the free ends of the arms of the U being attached to the plate 11 such that one arm 35a is capable of sliding relative to the supporting plate 31 whilst the other arm 35!) is mounted for rotation on the supporting plate 31. A spring loaded push-button 36 is provided with an annular flange 39, and a coiled spring 37, and located in a bore 38 in the arm 35a of the handle member, the bore being provided with an annular shoulder 40 at its mouth. The push-button 36 is arranged to co-operate with the slot 32 as in the first embodiment, the push-button being provided with an enlarged end 41 and a narrow portion 42 adjacent thereto, so that the method of operation of the push-button is precisely the same as described for the first embodiment. Thus when the push-button 36 is fully depressed it depresses a plunger 44 located in a locating tube 43 provided at the rear of the supporting plate 31 as in the previous embodiment, to thus release latching means to unfasten the door. The supporting plate 31 is also provided \wtih a second slot 45 extending substantially parallel to the slot 32 through which a screw, bolt 46 or the like passes into the arm 35a of the handle member 35 to hold the handle member to the plate to allow sliding movement of the arm 35a relative to the plate 31. To facilitate ease of sliding of the arm 35a of the handle member 35 a detent groove or recess 47 is preferably formed in the front surface of the plate 31 and a spring-loaded detent ball 48 or the like is located in the groove 47 so that the arm 35a moves freely on the plate 31.

I claim:

1. A door fastener comprising a supporting plate mounted from one side of a door, a handle member movably mounted from one side of said supporting plate, a push-button slidably mounted in said handle member, a spring for biasing said push-button in a direction outwardly from said supporting plate, a portion of the pushbutton adjacent its end facing the supporting plate having a smaller cross-section than the remainder of the pushbutton, said supporting plate having a slot therein, one end of said slot having a portion larger than said end of said push-button, and the remaining portions of said slot being smaller than said end of the push-button but larger than said smaller cross-section portion of said push-button, said handle member being movable along the direction of said slot and being adapted to position the end of the push-button directly opposite to said larger portion of the slot, a latch-actuating plunger mounted from the other side of said supporting plate and disposed opposite to said smaller remaining portions of said slot,

said push-button when positioned opposite to said larger portion of said slot and when depressed inwardly said end of the push-button passes through said larger portion of the slot enabling said smaller cross-section of the pushbutton, when said handle member is moved, to slide along said remaining portions of said slot opposite said latchactuating plunger, said push-button being further. depressed to engage said plunger moving it into a latchactuating position 2. A door fastener as claimed in claim 1, wherein said handle member is a knob of substantially circular crosssection defining a bore through the center thereof, said push-button being located in the bore, the longitudinal axis of the bore being disposed at substantially right angles to the supporting plate.

3. A door fastener as claimed in claim 1, wherein said slot is a first slot and wherein the handle member is slidably mounted from said supporting plate by a pair of fastening elements each arranged to slide in one of a pair of second slots formed in said supporting plate, said second slots being located one on each side of and parallel to said first slot.

4. A door fastener as claimed in claim 1, further. including a locating tube mounted from the side of said supporting plate opposite to the side from which said handle member is mounted, said latch-actuating member being positioned in said locating tube, and said locating tube being adapted to pass through a suitable hole formed in a door to which the door fastener is to be applied,

5. A door fastener as claimed in claim 1 wherein said supporting plate is substantially rectangular, said slot having its longitudinal axis substantially parallel to and adjacent one of the shorter sides of the supporting plate.

6. A door fastener as claimed in claim 5, wherein said handle member is substantially U-shaped with the base of the U shape being substantially parallel to said supporting plate and being disposed along the longer dimension of the plate, the free ends of the arms of the handle member being attached from the supporting plate whereby one arm is adapted to slide along said supporting plate, the other arm of the handle member being mounted from and for rotation about an axis disposed at right angles to said supporting plate, said one arm of said handle member defining a bore therethrough, and said pushbutton is disposed within the bore the longitudinal axis of which is disposed substantially at right angles to the supporting plate.

7. A door fastener as claimed in claim 6, wherein the slot is a first slot and wherein said one arm of the handle member is mounted from said supporting plate by means of a fastening element passing through a second slot formed in said supporting plate, said second slot being disposed substantially parallel to said first slot, whereby said one arm can slide along said supporting plate.

8. A door fastener as claimed in claim 1 wherein said supporting plate is substantially rectangular said slot having its longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the longer sides of the plate.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,660,515 2/ 1928 Mason 292l74 2,247,937 7/ 1941 Bitlorf 292-174 2,3 80,543 7/ 1945 Ostrom 292166 2,603,963 7/ 1952 Allen 70266 RICHARD E. MOORE, Primary Examiner E. I. MCCARTHY, Assistant Examiner 

